Diet be damned, there is too much good food to eat and not enough days to fit it all. Though in an effort to keep the glorious calories from going straight to my thighs, a new rule has been implemented – I can only go out to eat if I have worked out that day. So Saturday has turned into a designated food day – mostly because I go rock climbing with friends for a few hours. So I totally earn my butter smeared food. But enough of that rate – here is a recap of some of the places that I’ve been eating at.
Ted’s Bulletin 505 8th Street Southeast, Washington, DC 20003-2835 tel: (202) 544-8337 http://tedsbulletin.com/
So when I left my house on Sunday morning, I wanted properly made Belgium Waffles. Glorious fluffy waffles with real fruit. Not that canned fruit/pie filling shit. So it was a trek out of Belga Café. But without reservations, it wasn’t meant to be, so we walked across the street to Ted’s, because of the rumors of the amazing homemade poptarts and twinkies. The wait was an hour and half – but the breakfast gods had pity on my growling stomach and seats at the bar opened up in 15 minutes. My friend started off with some amazing coffee and then moved onto an “adult” milkshake – which was a perfect balance of ice cream and liquor. I had Jon’s Omelet; she had T.U.B.S (Ted’s Ultimate Breakfast Sammy); we shared a side of biscuits and gravy; and we started with a cherry poptart to calm our growling stomachs. Everything was very well done, no complaints on the quality or quantity of food. I wished that the hasbrowns were a bit more fried, but that’s my only “meh”. But I can see why people bought the poptarts by the dozen. They were perfect. We also got a snowball and twinkie to take home. I wasn’t a fan of the snowball, but that might be because it wasn’t pink and to be honest, I’m not a big fan of mergenie – and it was a very nice Italian Mergaine that was used instead of marshmallow fluff. But the twinkie – I could have eaten a dozen of those as well. The bill came out to about $25 a person. I would totally go back to this place again, if only to have twinkies, poptarts, and milkshakes.
Metro 29 Diner 4711 Lee Highway Arlington, VA 22207 tel:(703) 528-2464 http://metro29.com/
Okay – so this is hands down my favorite find this weekend. It was so good that I had to go twice. Though, I have to admit that the breakfast here is better than the dinner. For dinner I had prime rib, baked potato, corn, side salad, and soup – for a listed price of $20.95! Seriously, the only better deal would be in Vegas! The duck someone had as a bit over cooked, the new york strip steak was perfectly done, but the dessert so far is nothing special. For breakfast, I finally had my waffles, which were perfectly made and had fresh strawberries! Steak and eggs, were an amazing deal as well. The Omelets were nothing super special but still tastey. It was solid food, decent service, and exactly what a diner should be like. This is one of my staple places to go eat at now! It was about $15 to $25 a person, depending on what you got.
Le Madeline 3000 M Street NW, Suite 205, Washington DC, 20007 tel:202-337-6975 http://www.lamadeleine.com/
It’s what Le Madeline always is – just a place to run in and grab a bite to eat and run back out. It’s not bad. I tried something off their smart choice menu, broiled tilapia – it was okay. Not very filling. It would have been better with a side of veggies of any sort. My friend had the Tomato Basil Pasta – which of course is super tastey with all the fat and carby goodness. I’ve never been blown away by it, outside of the prices. But if there is one nearby and I don’t feel like Chipotle, I will continue to pop in. It is about $10 to $20 a person.
Florida Ave Grill 1100 Florida Avenue Northwest, Washington D.C., DC 20009 tel:(202) 265-1586 http://floridaavenuegrill.com/
This is a staple of tourist fooding at its best. There are a few places that I take out of towners for food – Ben’s Chili Bowl, Old Ebbits Grill, and Florida Ave Grill. It’s good, but if it wasn’t to showcase the “local vibe”, go somewhere Obama has eaten at, or emcompasses DC history – it would be passed over. They do make a mean bowl of grits, but it’s nothing amazing. You get the feeling of either being out of place because clearly everyone knows everyone or you feel included in the scene – it all depends on who is flinging food at you. But if you are looking for a greasy spoon in DC where the staff will remember you, this is your place. It's about $10 a person
Mandu 453 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 tel: (202) 289-6899 http://www.mandudc.com/
If you love bastardized Korean food, this is your place. I’m not the best person to come to when critiquing Korean food, because everything is compared to food that my family makes. But my non-Korean friends seem to like it and think it’s tasty. I would rather get something at Safeway and keep my friends company while they eat here. But I think that this place is worst then their location near Dupont. The ambience is nicer. But seriously - $6 for 6 dumplings that I can’t taste the shrimp in is just wrong. And their kimchee is unripened. Urg. This place is meant for hipsters that want to seem cool eating food that isn’t completely mainstream on this coast. I will be avoiding it like the plague. It's totally craptastic in my book. It's about $30 to $50 a person
Againn 1099 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001 tel: 202.639.9830 http://www.againndc.com/
So I had really high hopes for this place. Apparently it’s award winning for concept, scotch selection, food, and service. The whole nine yards of a new up and coming restaurant. Well, the service wasn’t the best because we had a newbie waiter. Understandable but annoying. And for the type of food – British pub food. I guess if I was a British ex-pat and I wanted food just like home – maybe I wouldn’t mind spending $18 on Bangers and Mash – but as a non british connoisseur, I don’t want to spend that much on sausage and potatoes that would take me 10 minutes to make. The Pork belly and crackling was pretty tastey and very fatty, as it should be, but it wasn’t something that I wanted a whole plate of. It was all too rich. We also started with something off the charcuterie section … I think it was some sort of tripe dish that was just okay. I don’t think that I would be going there again unless I had a hard core single malt scotch drinker with me, because it was an impressive selection.
Bar Pilar 1833 14th Street, NW Washington, DC 20009. tel: 202-265-1751 http://www.barpilar.com/
I went here in January and I have been trying to figure out a reason why I need to go back. I loved the chill atmosphere of young professionals that are there just the hang out, grab a bite to eat, and relax. There was no pretense of being hip, trendy, or anything else. It’s just a nice place with medium noise levels, decent service, and good solid food. An upscale diner if you will. I don’t really remember what I had to eat, expect for the Beet Salad, which was amazing, and the potatoes – which I could have eaten 12 plates of. If it was off the red line instead of the green/yellow, I would come to eat here every week. Total sad panda face for it being so far from me and for me being a metro snob. It's about $40 a person
The Majestic 911 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 tel: (703) 837-9117 http://www.majesticcafe.com/
This is my first real adventure into the food world of Alexandria. I heard about rumours that Old Town has some amazing resturants – but that whole being a metro snob keeps me from really eating in this part of town. And oh boy that have I missed out on! So hands down, everything here was amazing. The bread was amazing. The butter with the bread was amazing. The cocktails were amazing. I had a shirely temple that was amazing. The mac and cheese was amazing. The meatloaf was huge and amazing. The salmon was freash, flaky, moist, crispy, and amazing. The chicken “hunter style” was a very filling catchatorie style dish that was simple and amazing. Have I mentioned that everything here was amazing? Including the dessert. All amazing! I can’t wait to come here in the spring when the menu changes and everything is once again, amazing! It's about $50 a person.
Et Voila! 5120 MacArthur Blvd NW, Washington DC 20016 Tel: (202) 237- 2300 http://www.etvoiladc.com/
Apparently DC is not in wanting for little beligum cafes. But Et Voila is the best of Belga Café, with none of it’s faults. The service is perfect, it’s not to crowd, this not pretentious, and the patrons are very comfortable with their own skins.